California Public Utilities Commission Hails Verizon's Service Quality

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The California Public Utilities Commission today gave high marks to Verizon for the service quality it provides to residential and business customers throughout the state.

"Based on our statistical analysis, Verizon does not fail to meet the performance of the reference group [of large utilities] on any measure - this in itself is exceptional," the commission wrote in a decision approved at its meeting in San Francisco Thursday. "Thus, on all significant federal measures of service quality, Verizon meets or exceeds the performance of the reference group. ..."

Verizon Pacific Region President Tim McCallion said, "Verizon strives every day to provide its customers with the highest quality service in the industry. The CPUC's recognition of Verizon's service quality success underscores the magnitude of our commitment. Verizon's exceptional level of customer satisfaction gives us a competitive edge in today's increasingly crowded marketplace. Good service is just good business."

The commission's decision, which was based on an analysis of service data dating back as far as 1990, is part of an ongoing review of the state's telecommunications regulations, known as the New Regulatory Framework.

In the 13 years that the New Regulatory Framework has been in place, it has also provided Verizon's customers with $1.6 billion in rate reductions and encouraged the company to spend more than $6 billion on network upgrades that result in greater reliability, greater capacity and a broader choice of products and services.

"The New Regulatory Framework has been a tremendous success for Verizon's customers," McCallion said. "As the commission has declared, service has improved while rates have dropped and customer choice has expanded."

Verizon Communications

A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately $67 billion in revenues and 221,000 employees. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with more than 139 million access line equivalents and 36 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is the third largest long-distance carrier for U.S. consumers, with nearly 16 million long-distance lines. The company is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. Verizon's international presence includes wireline and wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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